Sheffield United boss explains Man City loanee Tommy Doyle's sudden absence from starting XI
manchestereveningnews.co.ukSheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has explained his thinking behind benching Tommy Doyle after the Manchester City loanee was dropped for the recent games at Blackburn and Reading.
Doyle was impressive in the Championship outfit's FA Cup triumph over Tottenham Hotspur last week, but he was named among the substitutes for the trip to Ewood Park at the weekend.
The 21-year-old came on for the final 14 minutes in the 1-0 defeat at Blackburn and remained on the bench for Tuesday night's win over Reading.
The City loanee has made 26 appearances in all competitions for the Blades this season, registering two goals and five assists since arriving at Bramall Lane in the summer. ALSO READ: Guardiola will see how far 'soft' City have come this season vs Crystal Palace While the decision to drop Doyle to the bench came as a surprise to some United fans, Heckingbottom insisted that a combination of tactics and being conscious of the player's recent calf injury were the reasons behind his decision. "There was no way he was playing against Blackburn, just from how he performed physically in that [Spurs] game," Heckingbottom told Yorkshire Live. "I'm also wary of how Tommy's done his calf, the last couple of times he's done it is when he's had that 90 minutes.
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